And THAT's when I threw up on my grandmother. p.17: We're back!

ashleypmo

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jun 10, 2007
Oh my gosh! I can hardly believe it, but it's official: We are going to the World in May '08! The flights & hotel are reserved, I am in high control-freak mode, and we are gettin' our Mickey on!

Who are "we," exactly? Well, let me introduce you!

Me, Mommy, 39-- 5 WDW trips to date--while researching my son's ADD symptoms a few months back, I realized that I, too have ADD! It came as a shock to no one but me.... I'm currently going through diagnosis for MS, so this trip is extra-special to me, because I've decided that NOW is the time to start living life to the fullest. Being the home schooling mom of 4 beautiful kiddos, I want them to have plenty of memories of Mommy being right in the middle of the action with them!

DH--"the Daddy," (Gus) 41 going on 9--3 WDW trips to date-- what can I say about the Daddy? I'm blessed! "Whatever you want to do, honey," is his motto. He loves Disney World, but is completely incapable of becoming excited, interested, or otherwise involved with the planning of any event taking place more than a week away. Which means, in practical terms, that I have free reign to plan this trip for the next 6 months and 2 days, and then suddenly he is going to develop opinions. The corrolary to this condition is that he will remember none of what I have told him during the interim, so I will have 1 week to fill him in on what's been going on for the last 6 months. But he has really cute knees, so I give him a lot of leeway!

DD12--"anxiety girl" (Riley)-- 2 WDW trips to date--She is my right-hand girl, my top general! When she's out of the battle, things do not run smoothly. But to go with all the responsibility she takes on, she tends to stress a little. And yell. I'm trying to help her take life a little less seriously. If you ask me, the girl needs a serious dose of Disney World!!! She has been twice before, at 3yrs. and 7 yrs. She is a Space Mountain fiend and rode about 12 times on her last trip.

DS8--"the explorer"(Ethan)-- 2nd trip--Sweetest little guy on the planet! Gives great hugs. But he's definitely all boy. Loves dirt, bugs, skeletons, pirates, vikings, all that cool stuff. He tends to be the source of DD12's frustration. Nothing is simple with this one! He can be a little spacey, but he has an amazing imagination. Wants to be an explorer/filmmaker/missionary when he grows up.

DD4--"35 pounds of sunshine and a rainbow in a bottle" (Ramie)--but as DD12 points out, too much sunshine can be deadly! 1st trip! This little one is positively luminescent! She wakes up all twinkly and sparkly, and you could lose a backhoe in her dimples. She has a quick temper, but she gets over it in a snap. She's just one of those people who always tend toward happiness. She has an imaginary friend named John (we were afraid John was gone forever at one point, after a nasty incident in which the SugarMan shot him with his weather gun, but evidently he's fine), and has a crazy crush on Eragon and also on Peter Pan.

DS2-- "the entertainer" (Mason)-- 1st trip!--This was our "SURPRISE!" baby. I found out I was pregnant on the day we moved into the new house we had just built for our family of 5. Ha! But he has been a true and unexpected joy. He has Down syndrome, and has inspired us to start a non-profit to educate expectant parents. He has developed a particular affinity for climbing, which is going to drive his poor old mommy crazy! I will scold him for something, and for a minute that little lip will stick out and he'll start to look teary, then he'lll bust out with this huge smile--now, how do I stand a chance against that?

DM--"Nana"--My mommy's coming with us! Yea! She offered to come so that we'd have help with DS2. She hasn't been to WDW in over 30 years, when I was 3 or 4 and we went right after WDW opened. My mom is the best. Slightly passive-agressive, but not in a bad way. She is always there for me, and has pulled me through more crises than I can count. I really want this trip to be special for her. I've been told I'm a cattle driver once we get onto Disney property (I don't see it at all...), but I have to slow it down a little for mom. In the tradition of Dolly Parton in Steel Magnolias, my mother hasn't left the house without lycra on her thighs since....well, ever. She also won't wear short sleeves. It will be interesting to see how long that lasts once we hit the parks. Although, we are from Texas, but I have to say Florida humidity kicks my patootie!

Cuz--Cecile, (pronounced Cess'-i-lee) 30ish??? Cec has been to WDW a couple of times before, but it's been a while. She's been wanting to go again, but it hasn't worked out. When my aunt was here for DD4's b'day last weekend, I told her "Tell Cec to come with us!" And she did...and she is!!! I'm so excited! Growing up, even though we lived only a couple of miles apart, we really only got together on Christmas and a birthday here or there, but I love her! She's really cute and funny, and she is so good with the kids. They are excited that she's coming. Cecile has OCD, so she's the only person I can trust to take them to the bathroom and be as germaphobic as I am!

So, there's my cast of characters. Now, here's my plan (but remember, I'm ADD, so this plan is destined to unravel at some point. Let's see how long I can keep it up. For fun, you could take bets on how many posts it takes before I completely abandon it):

While I'm spilling the details about my plans for this trip, which, BTW, are fabulous, I thought it would be fun to take a trip down memory lane and share with you some of the highlights of my past WDW trips (oh yes, that title isn't just some cheap gimmick to get you to read my pre-trippie). It will give you an idea of why WDW is so very, very special for me, and why I get so emotional about planning a WDW trip. And I'll enjoy it, too, which is what really matters....
 
How exciting...you will have a blast. May is the Flower and Garden Show at Epcot with some cool concerts too.

I cannot wait to read more about your plans.
 
How exciting...you will have a blast. May is the Flower and Garden Show at Epcot with some cool concerts too.

I cannot wait to read more about your plans.


I've heard the Flower and Garden Show is really beautiful, and that it doesn't really affect the crowd level--which is great:thumbsup2 ! I'm looking forward to the World Showcase most of all....for reasons I'll reveal a little later (if I stick to this plan o' mine:upsidedow !)...
 


Okay, I got a new ticker since I officially have flight & room ressies.
I assumed that once I updated my siggie, it would apply the ticker to my old posts, but it doesn't look like it did...so let's see if it works this time:wizard:
 
Hi Ashley! I'm in!! I LOVE WDW in May!! It's hot, but not as humid as the summer, and the Flower & Garden Show at Epcot is just gorgeous!:thumbsup2

Can't wait to hear more!
 
Well, I've been debating whether I should start with my current plans, or maybe start by waxing nostalgiac. Nostalgia won! :hippie: I figured it would be appropriate to begin at, well..., the beginning! The beginning of my love affair with the Mouse, that is.

The year was 1972, and Walt's new Orlando park wasn't even a full year old. I, however, was almost 4. My parents and I drove from Irving, TX (still the home of the Dallas Cowboys, for now) with my grandparents in Grandmother's brown Buick Wildcat with the taupe vinyl seats. My husband and I are not strong enough to take that road trip with our kids! But in all fairness, they just had me at the time, and we have four. Besides, that was back when if your kid got sleepy, you just laid them down on the floorboard for a nap. As long as you didn't drop your cigarette ashes on them or spill your beer, it was all good.

Now, I don't remeber much about that trip. I remember visiting Cypress Gardens and seeing some waterskiing show. Waterskiing shows didn't do it for me at 3, and not much has changed since. I also remember these really coooool souvenir machines that would mold a wax figure for you right before your eyes--someone has a green Mickey one in their avatar--but who? I can't remember! (If you know, track them down and tell them to come report in to my pretrippie so everyone can see it!)

But we're here for the Disney memories. And as luck would have it, I happen to have two of them from this particular trip!

Let me just say that if anyone enjoyed a good practical joke--especially the kind that terrorized, humiliated, or psychologically scarred another person-- more than my Dad, it was my grandfather, Cecil. I always called him by his name. I think it was probably from hearing my grandmother (whom I called "Grandmother") yell it so often. "CE-CIL!" Hm..not as dramatic in print. Oh well, you get the point. So, to be on vacation as a wide-eyed, naiive 3 year old with both Cecil and my Dad..., well, it probably explains a lot about the person I am today:upsidedow .

We were on a boat dock in the Magic Kingdom, I'm not sure for which attraction, and over in the corner sitting on a barrel, slumped against a wall was this huge--(pause for clarification)--okay, now, I remember it as a gorilla, but I don't know why there would be a gorilla at Magic Kingdom:confused: . An orangutan, from Jungle Book maybe? :confused3 I dunno. But I remember it as a gorilla, so unless anyone has any objections we're going with gorilla. All in favor? Good-- where was I??? Oh, yeah, so this huge gorilla, over in the corner, sitting on a barrel slumped against the wall.

I was a little leery of this gorilla, I have to tell you. :scared: But Dad and Cecil insisted it wasn't real, just a big stuffed animal. "It's fake," they said, "go ahead, touch it." No thanks. Not really in a gorilla-touchin' mood today. "Go ahead!" they urged. "It's not real!"

Now, I realize that it is a parents job to teach their child about the dangers of giving in to peer pressure. I doubt, however, that this was even remotely what was on my father's mind. At his urging, I crept closer to the beast...slowly....slowly....looking back for reassurance from Dad & Cecil....and the closer I got, I realized they were right, it wasn't a real gorilla at all, so I did what any 4 year old would do, I reached over to touch it and ---:scared1: EEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! :scared1:

The thing leapt up off that barrel with it's arms up in the air, and I was outta there, babee! Right into the arms of my loving--wait a minute! Why are they laughing?

So if I'm a little warped, well, know you know!

So there's WDW memory #1. You'd think that might have scarred me to the point I'd never want to go back, but nah! I'm tougher than that!

Until next time, when I'll give you the scoop on plans for May '08!
 


Hi Ashley! I'm in!! I LOVE WDW in May!! It's hot, but not as humid as the summer, and the Flower & Garden Show at Epcot is just gorgeous!:thumbsup2

Can't wait to hear more!

And a big:wave: Howdy, howdy, howdy! to you! Thanks for coming along on my trip down memory lane!
 
At this very moment, I am trying to arrange renting points for an AKV 2BDR. I am so stinkin' excited! :banana: It's touch-and-go, high drama, let me tell you:scared: ! I'm hoping there will still be a unit available when the owner calls DVC tomorrow!! If we can't get AKV, OKW is still w/in our price range, but I don't know that it has quite the WOW factor for the kids:snooty: .

Anybody stayed at either/both & care to share an opinion?

Hopefully, by the next time I post I'll have all my hotel ressies booked:cloud9: ! But not so fast...I don't want to give everything away yet.
 
At this very moment, I am trying to arrange renting points for an AKV 2BDR. I am so stinkin' excited! :banana: It's touch-and-go, high drama, let me tell you:scared: ! I'm hoping there will still be a unit available when the owner calls DVC tomorrow!! If we can't get AKV, OKW is still w/in our price range, but I don't know that it has quite the WOW factor for the kids:snooty: .

Anybody stayed at either/both & care to share an opinion?

Hopefully, by the next time I post I'll have all my hotel ressies booked:cloud9: ! But not so fast...I don't want to give everything away yet.

:goodvibes Here's hoping you get the AKV ressie!!! It looks amazing!! I have stayed at the lodge in a Savannah view room, and let me tell you, tearing those kids away from the balcony was next to impossible!:laughing:

I have also stayed at OKW and love it, but it is a totally different feel than the AK. Either way, I don't think you can go wrong. You're at Disney, right?;)
 
Which old Kinks song??? FRUSTRATED!!:headache:

Why? Because I was in bed, favorite jammies on, head on the pillow...and now I'm not. Let me explain...

I'm trying to rent points for a DVC stay, and it's turning out to be way more complicated than I thought. For one thing, I want AKV. Mostly because it's cheap. Don't get me wrong, I think AKV looks awesome, and I think my kids would totally groove on it. But in my heart of hearts, I really wanted to stay at WL, but it just isn't in the budget. So it's AKV by default on account o' the price.

See, I had this whole thing figured out. AKV. Done. I may not be able to get the points as cheaply as I wanted them, which is because the availibilty is iffy, so I'm somewhat under the gun, and it wasn't my first choice, but it's only 25 points per night, which isn't really that much more than 2 rooms at ASMo. And if we eat breakkies in the room, it's actually cheaper (how's that for fuzzy Disney math?)

Turns out that AKV is hard to get ressies for, I guess because there aren't that many 2BDR villas there. The 25 point value villas aren't available, so we're looking at the 27 point standards, which adds about $125 to the total cost. And even at that, it might not be available....

Well, would VWL really be that much more expensive??? Yes, actually, it would.

The next cheapest option would be OKW. Now, OKW looks lovely, but like I said before (I think I said it before...I'm sure I said it, I'm just not sure where...), I just don't think my kids would be all that excited about it.
but oh well. No worries tonight. The owner is looking into availabilty & booking for me tomorrow, so I'm decide I'm going to bed....

...but first, I'll check my email one more time.

MISTAKE!!! Because now I start looking up photos of the resorts online, running numbers, comparing stats & data, pulling out my Unofficial Guide to read over DVC reviews one more time, and now it's 1am.

So I start thinking...I wonder if the owner I'm talking to has a few extra points so I could book WL? And now even though I am absolutely, positively going to bed right this minute, I'll still be running numbers in my head, because I'm crazy that way!

So there's my vent. But you know, it's like I always say (well, I've never said it before, but I'm going to start now), the most frustrating day planning a Disney trip is better than the best day doing :laundy: !
 
Hey Ashley!

Great pre-trippy report so far! Can't wait to read more! popcorn:: I'm going next year too! But not until December. Reading your report makes me want to start planning now!

Have a great day Sistah!

Michele :flower3:
 
Welcome MousekaMaddi! Thanks for joining in! Oh, unfortunately I was veeerrryy sleepy! 3rd night in a row I was up late doing Disney plans. It makes it ohso hard to get up w/ the kids in the morning!

Michele! Hey Sistah! Glad you came to join in the fun! It's never too early to plan, is it? When in December are you going? I really want to go early Dec. some year, to see the decorations but before the crowds. This year we decided to wait until May so Mason would have a few more months to develop & mature and hopefully enjoy it more. He's doing really well. He had his cognitive & speech evaluation last week. His communication skills are exceeding his cognitive at this point per her scoring sheet, but even though he didn't do some of what was on the "test," he was also exhibiting cognitive skills that were above what she has on her list. It really depends on what activities you do with them. One of the questions was whether he could recognize a favorite TV character when seen on a toy or book. Well, he doesn't watch TV, so that was a "no."

Of course, if we wait until next December, he'll be 3 already, and then he's not free anymore, so that's how we decided on May. Besides, we love:love: BB, and my kids aren't well-padded (unlike Mommy), so they can't handle swimming in cool weather.
 
Quick post to say that I'm really, really close to having our hotel ressies all locked up! Woo-hoo!:banana: By this time tomorrow, hopefully I will have a done-deal to report!:thumbsup2
 
Okay, for Thursday's post your choices are:

:confused: What do I have in my closet?

Or

:yay: "Grandmother! Grandmother! Guess what!"

You make the call. Just post your vote and let me know what you want to know. It's easy: just type in the word "closet" or the word "Grandmother." I'll go ya' one better: you can even just type in "C" or "G" and I'll figure it out from there.:idea:

What? A shameless ploy to up my post count you say?

;)
 

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